The 2018 study looked at consumer preference when it comes to the way they watch and interact with marketing videos on social media.

The data points to how much better ad targeting has gotten in the past couple of years in delivering relevant content to consumers. And as the number of people watching videos on Facebook increases, the ads businesses pay for will reach the intended target with greater accuracy.

For small businesses who use Facebook as part of their marketing efforts, it will mean a better return on their ad investment.

As Hila Shitrit Nissim, Vice President of Communications at Slidely, the company responsible for the Promo platform, said in a press release, the goal of the survey was to “Help businesses understand how people consume and engage with their video content.”

Slidely CEO Tom More added, “These insights are invaluable to businesses and agencies that want to maximize the impact of their online advertising efforts. The more marketers know about customer behaviors, the better they can tailor their campaigns to their audience.”

Slidely carried out the survey with the participation of 500 consumers of all ages online. The survey was conducted during June and July 2018.

Social Media Video Marketing Statistics

While YouTube has been the preferred platform for consuming video, the survey reveals people are watching more video on Facebook. Facebook video ad views are up by six percentage points at 47% compared to 41% for YouTube.

When people watch videos, they are doing so with more frequency. Six percent said they watch too many videos to count, while 10% said they watch 10 to 20 videos daily.

Close to a third or 28% estimated they watch 5 to 10 videos daily while 32% limited their views to 2 to 5 videos and almost a quarter or 24% said they watch 0 to 2 videos daily. Overall, 44% of the people responding say they watch at least five videos every day.

With so many respondents consuming videos daily, the importance of delivering the right marketing video to the right viewer can’t be overstated.

But also videos drive action. Almost three in four or 70% of respondents said they visit a publisher’s site sometimes or very often after watching their video. Another 60% said they visit the publisher’s social media with the same level of engagement, and 58% said they react to videos they watch online.

The Growth of Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories now has 150 million daily users along with another 400 million on Instagram, a Facebook brand.

Facebook and Instagram Stories are seeing a lot of engagement, with 68% of respondents saying they watch these some or all of the time. More than half or 52% said they post Stories on Facebook and Instagram.

In light of Facebook’s recent announcement of ad placement in Stories, small businesses now have even more opportunities to engage with their customers.

Editor's Picks

Michael Guta is a Staff Writer for Small Business Trends focusing on business systems, gadgets and other small business news. He has a background in information and communications technology coordination.

5 Reactions

It’s interesting to see YouTube and Facebook so close on video. But advertisers need to remember that people on YouTube are there specifically for videos while Facebook has video as one of many things that is going on. So if you’re really looking to succeed with video, YouTube may be a better audience.

About Small Business Trends

Founded in 2003, Small Business Trends is an award-winning online publication for small business owners, entrepreneurs and the people who interact with them. It is one of the most popular independent small business publications on the web.

Together with hundreds of expert contributors, Small Business Trends brings you the news, advice and resources you need. "Small business success... delivered daily."